Eid-ul-Azha, or Qurbani, is four days away. Those who make the sacrifice buy livestock every year, and camels and dumba sheep are now also sold in many places in the country. Whatever animal is sacrificed, it must be cared for and given enough food. Here is what you need to know about care and feeding.

• Many animals are not used to walking, and walking them home adds to their suffering, so it is better to bring them by pickup van.
• Cattle, goats, sheep or other sacrificial animals must not be kept in damp, unclean or dirty places.
• After buying a cow, buffalo, sheep or goat at the market, bathe it quickly if possible.
• Clean the animal's dung and urine every day, and make sure the surroundings do not become polluted.
• Bathe the animal before going to the Eid prayer so that any dirt on its body is washed off.
• When laying the animal down for slaughter, avoid too much struggling. Lay it down skilfully and slaughter it quickly without delay.
• Do not slaughter in front of other animals. It causes panic and fear in the living animals, and they may suffer.

• Animals are often somewhat weak because traders do not feed them enough, so give them enough food and water.
• After being sold, animals often do not want to eat, so make sure they have a suitable setting for eating.
• Do not force-feed the animal. Put normal food in front of it.
• In hot weather saline can be mixed with water. Do not give too much food on the night before the sacrifice.
• When buying, find out the animal's eating habits from the farmer or seller.
• You can also try different foods to see which the animal likes, and give more of that.
• Give an animal brought from far away clean water first, in a container it can dip its mouth into.
• Animals often do not want to drink cold water. Give lukewarm water with a little salt.
• Cattle can be given bran, vegetable peel, rice powder, oilcake and salt mixed with rice starch water.
• For sheep or goats, tree leaves, grass, and a little cooked rice with rice powder or broken wheat can be given.
• You can give good-quality ready-made feed in proportion to the animal's weight.
• In the city, you can buy oilcake, straw, bundles of grass and jackfruit leaves.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.